Milk and Dark Chocolate Cookies

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Adapted from Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen (HarperCollins, 2014)

In Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen, JBF Award Winner Dana Cowin writes, “Because I love chocolate chip cookies so much, I have probably made them more than any other food. I was still trying to get them right though, using a recipe based on the famous crispy ones from Tate’s Bake Shop. They always came out “cakey” and they often overcooked on the bottom. Advice from passionate amateurs led me to buy new heavy baking sheets for even cooking, as well as a small ice cream scoop to guarantee same-size cookies. But these tips didn’t solve all my problems. I needed an expert.”

With the assistance of Cheryl Day of Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Georgia, she realized the error of her ways: not letting the ingredients come to room temperature. Armed with this new information, she says, “I tried yet one more time, and to my amazement and delight, got a crispy cookie.”

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, beaten

6 ounces good quality milk chocolate, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

7 ounces dark chocolate chips or chunks (about 1 cup)

Maldon or other flaky salt

Method

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flours, baking soda and kosher salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

Put the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until well combined, about 1 minute. (Alternatively, use a handheld mixer and a large bowl.) Add the brown sugar and beat just until creamy, about 1 minute. On medium speed, beat in the milk, vanilla, and eggs just until incorporated. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture, and then fold in both types of chocolate.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place one baking sheet in the oven and bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and sprinkle each cookie with a generous pinch of Maldon salt. Return the cookies to the oven, rotating the baking sheet, and bake for about another 10 minutes, or until the cookies are browned and crisp and smell heavenly. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a cooling rack. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, baking a third and fourth batch of cookies on newly lined sheets after they have cooled.